Writing the Biographical Narrative Practice for the CAHSEE and to meet the 10th grade California State Standards Writing Application 2.1

Journal (10 min) All of us know ordinary people who do things that seem insignificant, yet their actions make them people we admire. We may admire a friend trying to learn English or a handicapped child struggling to do the ordinary things we take for granted. When we see these people, we admire their strength and courage. Often their actions influence our thinking or behavior. Identify a person you know well. This should be a person who does things that make you admire him/her. Describe this person so that your classmates will be able to see what this person is like. Include specific incidents to help show what the person is like. Explain how this person has influenced or affected you.

Character Traits (keep this handout for use on other narrative and creative writing assignments) Once you have selected your traits, try to think of a story you can tell your classmates for each character trait. As with building characters for your short stories, the people you admire have character traits that make them admirable. Select three adjectives from the list of traits provided or come up with your own three traits for this person. Briefly chart/jot down a little information about each story under your journal entry.

Mingling Tell one story to each person you mingle with. Don’t forget to make your stories colorful by SHOWING AND NOT TELLING: Use dialogue to illustrate things your person says Use vivid verbs to describe actions Use sensory details to provide setting and context Use transition words to make your story flow After you have told your story, ask the listener to tell you what character trait comes to mind and then reveal the trait you were trying to SHOW.

Lets Read About Letty through the eyes of her step daughter

How is the thesis structured? After a while Letty would astonish me; she would turn out to be considerate, forgiving, and an important component in my life. It follows the X,Y, Z thesis pattern.

What is the x,y,z thesis pattern? I have many hobbies such as playing football, basketball, and baseball X , Y, and Z What are the three body paragraphs going to be about?

Parallel structure My dad is someone I greatly admire. I admire him for his courage, intelligence, and generosity. To begin, my dad is courageous. In addition, my dad is intelligent. Furthermore, my dad is generous.

New HW Have brainstorm completed Write out thesis statement and topic sentences

Bio- Narrative Essay Structure Intro: Hook, Background, X,Y,Z Thesis Body 1: Story about character trait X Body 2: Story about character trait Y Body 3: Story about character trait Z Conclusion: Explain clearly how this person has influenced you through WHO they are and what they do/have done.

Lets Read About Robert Denewiler through the eyes of his daughter Whitney.

What does this essay genre require? Criteria Assessed: Introduction catches the reader’s attention A clear thesis tells the reader the three admired characteristics (x, y, z): Each body paragraph uses storytelling techniques to develop the character of the person for the reader (learned in previous unit; such as, sensory language and figurative language) Dialogue is used to Show and Not Tell (10pts) Vivid verbs and vivid language is used to show and not tell Transition words and phrases are used to make the paper flow Conclusion clearly reveals how the person has impacted or affected the writer Word choice is clear, pleasant, and appropriate for the audience (slang and worn out words are not used) Paper incorporates a variety of sentence structures. Paper has few errors. Minor errors in grammar do not interfere with the reader’s understanding

Lets Read About Mr. Duncan through the eyes of a student he impacted.

Honors Students Additional Requirements Must incorporate figurative language into the essay Must incorporate a minimum of one sentence imitation (find the handout) MUST use several forms of advanced grammar (colon, semi-colon, dash) and syntax (vary your sentence structures, but never, ever sacrifice clarity for complexity) You may tell one story over three paragraphs that illustrate each character trait along the way, or you can tell three separate stories. Telling one story allows you to add more depth and detail to the story.

H.W. Create an outline to help you write your first draft of your Bio. Narr. Most important items in your outline are: x,y,z,thesis statement Three topic sentences Dialogue Transition words you want to use